


Failure’s All You’ve Known

by Georgie04



Category: Ackley Bridge (TV)
Genre: A levels, Anxiety, Bisexual Male Character, Established Relationship, Fluff, Gay Male Character, M/M, Naveed is so precious, im so proud of them, insecure Cory, my cute fluffy boys, results day, they're so soft, they’re in love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-29
Updated: 2018-08-29
Packaged: 2019-07-04 08:52:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15837915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Georgie04/pseuds/Georgie04
Summary: It’s the morning the year 13’s get their A level results and Cory is certain that he’s going to fail. It’s what he’s used to.





	Failure’s All You’ve Known

**Author's Note:**

> Do you feel cold and lost in desperation?  
> You build up hope, but failure’s all you’ve known,  
> Remember all the sadness and frustration,  
> And let it go, let it go. 
> 
> \- Iridescent, Linkin Park.

It was just past 6am and the early morning sun was beginning to filter through the gaps in the curtains. Cory was wide awake, he had been most of the night; his chest was tight with anxiety and he couldn’t make his thoughts stop for long enough to let him sleep. Naveed, however, was sleeping peacefully, his head buried into the pillow and his arm swung over Cory’s torso. Normally mornings like this were pure bliss for Cory, but not today. 

It was results day, meaning that in just a few short hours they would know if they had passed their A levels and gotten into uni. 

It was alright for Naveed, who was smart and talented and _perfect_ in every way. The same couldn’t be said for Cory though. He’d spent the majority of year 12 fucking around, in more ways than one. It was Naveed who had put a stop to all of that. Naveed, who made him realise he was bisexual, who made him want a relationship, who made him want to _make something_ of his life.

He’d royally fucked up his AS levels, though. Between his lack of revision, his family drama, and not yet having come to terms with his sexuality, he didn’t really stand a chance of doing well. So when he opened his results that Thursday morning and saw a C and two D’s (he’d got an A in sport), Cory wasn’t all that surprised. He was, however, fucking gutted. 

But it wasn’t long after that, that he came to the realisation that _shit, he was in_ love _with Naveed._ There had been no heat of the moment, alcohol infused mistake that night they spent together, he just _wanted_ it. He just wanted Naveed, with every fibre of his being. And he got him. And that changed everything. 

All of a sudden Cory wasn’t interested in pissing about in lessons or skipping school, he actually found himself wanting to do well. So he tried, worked his arse off actually. Naveed, Riz, Nas and Alya took turns helping him revise, making him revision guides and showing him easy ways to study in order to get him caught up. He and Naveed spent countless nights revising together, holed up in Cory’s bedroom with his dad occasionally supplying them with snacks and coffee to keep them going. Not only was he doing his year 13 exams, he was also retaking some of his year 12 ones too, so the pressure was doubled. 

And Nav had been his rock, answering his 2am phone calls when he had questions about bio, or English, or when he was just full on panicking. He’d spent hours quizzing Cory, reading over his practise exam papers, and then stopping him when he knew he needed a break. It was small things like that, like _“you should sleep now”_ or _“you’ve done enough for today”_ that made Cory fall harder for Naveed, until Cory was certain that there was no way he could possibly love Naveed any more than he already did. 

It was almost half 6 when Naveed finally began to stir, letting out a small groan as he stretched his arms above his head and allowed his eyes to flicker open, slowly adjusting to the warm light in the room. When his eyes finally landed on Cory he smiled, and Cory forgot how to breathe for a few seconds. They had been together almost a year, had woken up beside each more times than not, but every time Cory got to see that sleepy, content smile, his heart fucking _soared._

It had taken him months to really believe that Nav was his, months of reassurances on Naveed’s part and insecurities on Cory’s, and sometimes he _still_ couldn’t believe that Naveed loved him back. Every time he smiled at Cory, grabbed his hand in public, pressed a kiss to cheek, Cory felt like the luckiest person alive. Because Naveed was so, _so good,_ and Cory was a fucking mess, but together they were almost perfect. 

“Morning babe,” Naveed mumbled sleepily. 

“Morning sunshine,” Cory greeted him with a grin, leaning down so he could press their lips together. 

“How’d you sleep?” Nav asked, stifling a yawn. 

“Not bad, you?”

“Liar, you were awake all night.”

Cory rolled his eyes. He could never get away with lying to Naveed, not that he’d want to anyway, at least, not about anything important. 

“Just couldn’t get to sleep.”

“You should have woke me up,” Naveed scolded him, but snuggled into Cory’s side and pressed a kiss to his chest nonetheless. 

“But you looked so cute,” Cory teased, letting his fingers brush against Naveed’s ticklish spot. 

He jerked away, laughing and trying to grab hold of Cory’s hand to stop him doing it again. He held Cory’s hand in his and pulled it up to his lips, kissing it softly without taking his eyes off Cory. And Cory fell harder still. 

“It’s gonna be okay, you know?”

Cory sighed and let his head fall back on the pillow, “It’s not.”

“You put so much work in, you’re gonna get amazing results.”

It was Naveed’s belief in Cory’s abilities that had got him through exam season - without it he’d have crashed and burned. Nav was always so sure of how smart Cory was, always reminding him and refusing to let him forget. Cory just wished he could see in himself what Naveed happened to see. Because Cory was certain that he was going to fail. 

Yeah, he’d put in the work, but he just wasn’t as good at academic stuff as Nav, Riz, Nas and Alya were - he always felt like the odd one out when they were revising together, because as much as they tried to help him, he just wasn’t as clever as they were. They’d all, especially Naveed, tried to tell him that wasn’t true, but he just couldn’t see it. 

All Cory’s life he’d been a failure, he’d been a shit brother and son, a shit friend and boyfriend, and an even worse student. Failing was all he knew how to do, so how did anyone expect him to pass his exams? He knew he was going to get bad grades, but he was still terrified of it. 

“Cory, oi,” Naveed said, clicking his fingers in Cory’s face to get his attention. 

“Yeah?” He knew Nav had been attempting to say something inspirational, but he hadn’t heard a word of it. 

“You’re gonna do amazing,” Naveed said, shifting so he was sitting cross legged facing Cory. 

“No, I’m not,” Cory argued, sitting up so he was at the same level as Naveed. 

“You’ve worked so hard, and you did brill in all your mocks, you’ve got this babe, stop putting yourself down.”

Naveed’s hand running up and down Cory’s arm made him sigh and relax into the touch. He leant forward and dropped his head down onto Nav’s shoulder. Instantly he felt arms wrap around him and hold him tightly, and he felt some of the anxiety leave his bones. He allowed Naveed to hold him for a while, just basking in the comfort and security that he provided. 

“What if I don’t get into uni and we just lose touch?” Cory asked, his voice no more than a whisper for fear that it would crack if he spoke any louder. 

It was no secret that Cory and Naveed had applied to the exact same universities, and picked the same firm and insurance choices. They didn’t want to go to separate uni’s, they didn’t want to be that far away from each other, but Cory was terrified it would happen anyway. Naveed was practically guaranteed A’s, and was definitely going to be accepted into their first choice uni. But Cory, with his at best mediocre grades, was going to struggle, and the thought of being away from Naveed, after taking so long for them to get to where they were, and almost a year of being happy together, was too much for Cory to handle. 

“Hey, stop, okay? That’s not going to happen, because you’re gonna get your grades. And even if, for some reason, we don’t end up at the same uni, we’re not just gonna _lose touch_ , alright? That’s not gonna happen, Cory.”

“How do you know?” Cory murmured. 

Naveed pulled back, moving his hands so they rested on either side of Cory’s cheeks. 

“Because I love you. I love you so much, Cory, and we’re going to uni together, and if we don’t then we’ll still find time for each other.”

Cory nodded, “yeah, yeah you’re right.”

Naveed kissed Cory, soft and slow, and if he felt Cory’s tears fall against his cheek then he didn’t say anything. 

“I’ll go for a quick shower then we can meet everyone,” Cory said, planting a kiss on the top of Naveed’s head as he left the room. 

*

By 8:15am Cory and Naveed were on their way to school. They walked hand in hand, Naveed telling jokes to try and keep Cory relaxed and at ease, at least until they got there. Cory, as much as he tried to engage with Nav, was mostly out of it, his mind wandering to all kinds of places he’d rather it didn’t, like Nav at uni without him, meeting new people, falling in love with someone else. 

“Hey,” Naveed said, interrupting Cory’s intrusive thoughts, “I love you.”

Naveed leaned up to kiss Cory’s cheek, and Cory felt his heart skip a beat. No matter what the situation, Naveed always knew what to say and do to make Cory feel better. He was able to talk him through the panic attacks that came after Jordan left, and steer him away from thinking about how he’d hurt Riz physically, and Naveed emotionally. He knew Cory like the back of his hand - inside out and back to front - and Cory wasn’t quite sure what he would do without him. 

“I love you too,” he replied softly.

Just as their lips touched they heard their names being called loudly from across the road. They groaned and pulled apart reluctantly, turning around to locate the source of the noise. 

Unsurprisingly, Riz, Alya, Nas and Missy were stood by the school gates, beckoning for them to hurry up. Missy, who was part of the year that started the new version of A levels, wasn’t getting her results, she was just there for moral support, yet she was somehow the most excited of them all. Alya looked as calm and confident as she always did, Nas looked about as anxious as Cory was feeling, and Riz looked completely indifferent about the whole situation. 

“Hurry up!” Missy called out to them as they were crossing the road. 

“How you feeling?” Riz asked them both. 

“Fucking shit mate, you?” Cory replied. 

He laughed, because he was good at putting on a front for everyone, even his friends. It was easier to act like he didn’t care and fail, than show how much he wanted to do well and still fail. Unfortunately for him, Naveed was far too tuned into him to buy his facade. He squeezed his hand and turned his head slightly to kiss Cory’s shoulder. 

“Mate you did twice as much as I did, you’ll be fine,” Riz laughed as they began making their way towards the school. 

“You okay, Naveed?” Nas asked, linking her arm with his free one. 

“Yeah I’m alright, bit nervous, you?”

“If I fail bio when my step-dad was my bloody teacher, I’m _dead_ ,” she groaned, causing everyone else to laugh. 

“We put the work in, even Cory, so we’ll be fine,” Alya said, sending a wink in Cory’s direction to tease him. 

The walk down the corridor and into the hall felt about three times longer than it ever had before, making Cory’s anxiety spike to dangerous levels. He squeezed Naveed’s hand tightly and tried to swallow, but his mouth was dry and he was starting to hyperventilate. Naveed signalled for the rest of them to go ahead, and he stopped and turned to face Cory, who was looking roughly three shades paler than he had been just ten minutes ago. 

“Fuck, I can’t do this,” he said, his eyes flickering towards the hall. 

“Cory, you can. Whatever is on that paper is set in stone, okay? There’s no point in panicking now. You did everything you could, you worked harder than all of us, and you’re gonna do amazing.”

Not knowing how to reply, Cory just took a step forward and curled his arms around Naveed for comfort. He buried his face into the crook of Nav’s neck and tried to match their breathing. Once he was sure the panic had subsided, he pulled away, offering Naveed a shy smile. 

“Ready?”

Cory nodded and they walked into the hall hand in hand. 

*

“I can’t do it,” Cory said, thrusting the envelope towards Naveed. 

“Cory,” Nav tried to protest. 

“Please? Just open yours then open mine.”

Naveed sighed in resignation, then tucked Cory’s envelope under his arm while he opened his own. The smile that spread across Naveed’s face was heaven to Cory, and he couldn’t help but match the grin when Nav’s eyes met his own. He didn’t need to ask to know that he’d done amazingly. 

“Two A’s and a B,” Naveed said, shaking his head in disbelief. 

Cory, so full of pride for his boyfriend, kissed him instantly. 

“I’m so proud of you,” Cory murmured against Naveed’s lips. 

Naveed laughed and checked the slip of paper again, as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. After reading it over twice more, he shoved the paper back into the envelope and handed it to Cory so he could open the other one. 

“Are you sure you want me to do it?”

Cory nodded, his eyes trained on the floor. He didn’t want to see Nav’s reaction, didn’t want to see the disappointment in his eyes when he realised how much of a failure Cory really was. And it was inevitable, he knew that, but it still scared him. Part of him hoped that _maybe_ he’d done okay, but the more rational part of him knew that just wouldn’t be the case. He heard the envelope being torn open and he held his breath. 

“Cory.”

He refused to look up. 

“Cory look.”

He couldn’t do it. 

“Cory!”

A sheet of paper was shoved in front of his face and he had no choice but to take hold of it. After taking a deep breath he straightened out the wrinkled paper and read it. And again. And then again. 

His eyes flashed up to meet Naveed’s, to check he was seeing things clearly, that he’d read it right and been given the right results. The smile on Naveed’s face said it all. Cory let out a choked laugh and launched himself into Naveed’s waiting arms. 

“You fucking did it! What did I tell you?” Naveed said, laughing in Cory’s ear. 

“A, B, C,” Cory muttered in shock. 

“What did you just say?” Riz said from behind him. 

“A, B, C,” Cory repeated, the smile still etched on his face. 

“Shit man, that’s fucking amazing!” Riz congratulated, throwing his arms around Cory. 

His other friends came up to him as well, and so did the teachers, but he wasn’t able to take much of anything in. He kept looking between the letters on the page and Naveed, who smiled and nodded every time, repeatedly reassuring Cory that this was happening, that it was _real._

It didn’t take long before Cory had pulled Naveed away from everyone with a quick congratulations and goodbye to them all. Then they were outside, finally by themselves again. Their hands were entwined, and they kept laughing and nudging each other’s shoulders as they walked. 

“We did it,” Cory said for the fifth time since they’d left the school. 

Naveed laughed, “we did it.”

“We’re going to uni together.”

“We are.”

And Cory had never felt so many emotions at once. Overwhelming pride at how well Naveed had done, at how well _he’d_ done, excitement, fear, and complete, unadulterated joy that they would be staying together, that he wasn’t losing Naveed. 

“Thank you,” Cory said. 

“What for?”

“You changed everything for me,” Cory admitted. 

“You changed everything for me too,” Naveed replied, flashing one of his heartwarming smiles. 

“We better go pack,” Cory laughed. 

And maybe he wasn’t such a failure after all.


End file.
